SATURDAY SLATE | Sept. 28
1 PM CT | SOUTHERN UTAH at AUSTIN PEAY* (ESPN+)
2 PM ET | NORTH ALABAMA at WEST GEORGIA* (ESPN+)
2 PM ET | EKU vs Robert Morris (ESPN+)
6 PM CT | #7 CENTRAL ARKANSAS vs #19 Lamar (ESPN+)
6 PM CT | #16 TARLETON STATE Southeastern Louisiana (ESPN+)
7 PM MT | #20 ABILENE CHRISTIAN at UTAH TECH* (ESPN+)
* UAC Conference Game
A trio of United Athletic Conference (UAC) league games dot the Saturday slate with Southern Utah’s visit to Austin Peay getting the day started. North Alabama travels to West Georgia, as the Wolves return to action from their bye, while Utah Tech welcomes No. 20 Abilene Christian in the final match-up of the day. In addition to the conference tilts, three UAC programs will host non-conference foes with No. 7 Central Arkansas taking on #19 Lamar, No. 16 Tarleton State facing Southeastern Louisiana and Eastern Kentucky battling Robert Morris.
NOTEWORTHY
– All nine UAC squads will hit the field on Saturday highlighted by a trio of head-to-head conference clashes
– Southern Utah and Utah Tech are both slated to make their league season debuts on Saturday becoming the final two UAC teams to play a conference contest
– EKU’s foe Robert Morris marks the first Northeast Conference (NEC) opponent faced by a UAC team
– The UAC owns one of the five FCS wins over FBS teams in 2024 (Southern Utah def. UTEP, 27-24 in OT)
– RANKED TEAMS: For a third straight week, three UAC programs were ranked in one or both of the FCS national polls with Central Arkansas (#7), Tarleton State (#16) and Abilene Christian (#20) all listed on the Stats Perform Top 25… In the AFCA FCS Poll, UCA (#7), TSU (#16) and ACU (#22) were also ranked… So far this season, 7 of 9 UAC squads have received votes in a national ranking poll
– RANKED FOES: Saturday’s schedule boasts one ranked opponent for UAC squads as #7 UCA meets #19 Lamar in a battle of nationally ranked foes… The Bears are seeking to secure the league’s first win over a ranked team this season
– SONG OF THE SOUTH(land): With several UAC members having previously competed in the Southland Conference, games pitting the two leagues together stir up an added level of competition with the UAC having gone 4-1 last year in head-to-head match-ups while owning a 2-0 mark this year… UCA and TSU will look to keep the record unblemished this season as they host a pair of Southland foes on Saturday in #19 Lamar and Southeastern Louisiana, respectively.
– The UAC “Game of the Week” pits a pair of teams searching for their first UAC win of the season as the Govs host the T-Birds at “The Fort”. Austin Peay is coming off a dominating home performance against Alabama A&M last week while Southern Utah looks to bounce back from a tough loss versus Idaho State. SUU is playing its first league game and the game marks APSU’s first home conference game following a loss at No. 7 Central Arkansas.
– Saturday marks a “Rivalry Renewed” for longtime DII standouts North Alabama and West Georgia… It marks the 36th all-time meeting, but the first since 2017 when UNA moved to FCS, as the two foes played every season from 1983-2017… The Lions have a 22-13 record against UWG but are tied 9-9 in games on the Wolves’ campus. West Georgia owns a current three-game home winning streak over UNA, as a win by the Lions would be the first in Carrollton since 2010.
– Abilene Christian made a late push for an upset over No. 4 Idaho last week and now turn their attention to UAC foe Utah Tech for the Wildcats first road game in league play this season… ACU hopes to remain undefeated in conference play after topping newcomer West Georgia in their opener while the Trailblazers are in search of not only their first ever win over the Wildcats (0-2) but also on the season in their conference debut
– Another former conference rivalry will refresh when No. 7 Central Arkansas welcomes former Southland league mate #19 Lamar back to “The Stripes” in Conway… The Bears hold a 9-1 advantage in the overall series with the Cardinals’ lone victory coming in 2018 in Conway, 38-24. UCA did capture the last meeting of the duo, posting a 49-38 in 2021 in Beaumont. Both squads roll into this weekend’s clash carrying three-game win streaks on the season.
– After kicking off the season with back-to-back FBS opponents, EKU has now won two in a row and will be playing their third consecutive game at home in Roy Kid Stadium… The Colonels faces Robert Morris for the fourth time in program history with EKU having claimed the previous three meetings… The squads last met in 2018 with the Colonels edging the Colonials, 40-39, in overtime
– No. 16 Tarleton State wraps up its non-conference ledger against Southeastern Louisiana in a rematch of a tightly contested 14-13 Texans win a year ago… TSU has won its last two outings and also posted a victory in their lone home game of the season while the Lions are winless in two previous road games this year… SLU marks the third Southland Conference foe for the Texans in 2024
MILESTONE WATCHES:
– Will McElvain (UCA QB) needs 77 yards to reach 6,000 career passing yards
– Maverick McIvor (ACU QB) needs 496 yards to reach 6,000 career passing yards
– Darius Hale (UCA RB) needs 265 yards for 3,000 career rushing yards
– Caleb Lewis (TSU RB) needs 142 yards for 2,000 career rushing yards
– Rajaez Mosley (UWG RB) needs 245 yards for 2,000 career rushing yards
– Darius Cooper (TSU WR) needs 31 yards for 2,000 career receiving yards
– Mark Bails Jr. (SUU WR) needs 413 yards for 2,000 career receiving yards
– David Walker (UCA DL) needs 1.5 TFLs for 50 career TFLs | 4 sacks for 40 career sacks
– Elijah Moffett (ACU LB) needs 3 tackles for 200 career stops
– Donta Stuart (TSU) needs 5 tackles for 200 career stops
– TaMuarion Wilson (UCA DB) needs 14 tackles for 200 career stops
– Patrick Nations (EKU K) needs 3 field goals made for 50 career FGM
– Southern Utah Head Coach DeLane Fitzgerald has 98 career coaching victories
Milestones Reached
– Maverick McIvor (ACU QB) surpassed 5,000 career passing yards on Sept. 14
– ShunDerrick Powell (UCA RB) surpassed 3,000 career rushing yards on Sept. 14
– Takairee Kenebrew (UNA WR) reached 2,000 career receiving yards on Sept. 14
– Kayvon Britten (TSU RB) reached 3,000 career rushing yards on Sept. 21 (*had UAC record 273 rushing yds vs UNA)
– Derrel Kelley III (TSU RB) surpassed 2,000 career rushing yards on Sept. 21
– Targhee Lambson (SUU RB) reached 1,000 career rushing yards on Sept. 21
